Videos

Below you'll find a list of all videos on The Roving Naturalist starting with most recent. Each post includes video title, thumbnail, link, and description. Enjoy!

If you're looking for my video playlists, you can find them here.

The Nature Study Movement revolutionized environmental education during the Industrial Revolution. Learn more about the movement's goals, as well as the Handbook of Nature Study that guided teachers in using Nature Study in their classrooms with students. If you'd like to learn more about one of the movement's chief organizers and the author of the Handbook, Anna Botsford Comstock, click on over to Step Back History!



Aphids are amazing insects, usually best known for their position as plant pests and their incredible ability to reproduce asexually through a process called "parthenogenesis." But aphids also have a dirty little secret: cannibalism. Learn more about kin selection, cannibalism in aphids, and how to think about designing scientific experiments.



Sheryl interviews Dr. Hannah J. Penn, a post-doctoral researcher at Miami University. Hannah studies how landscape context affects the insects appearing in agricultural fields. She's specifically interested in ants, although her research also looks at other arthropods, including pests, in the agricultural landscape. We talk about how to catch earthworms and the magic of citation managers and Excel pivot tables.



I spent a few days enjoying the absolutely gorgeous hiking Oregon has to offer. We saw beautiful, refreshing waterfalls in lush forests, then drove up to Crater Lake. We took the trail down the the lakeside and swam in the crystal clear, EXTREMELY COLD water, but it was totally worth it.



Sheryl interviews Dr. Kathryn Ingerslew (@BugSlewth on Twitter), a post-doctoral researcher at Purdue. Kathryn is passionate about controlling crop pests and making sure that agriculture is successful so people have enough quality food to eat. We talk about crop rotations, aphids and parasitoid wasps, and the peer review process for scientific papers.



Have you ever wondered why the moon is so important to many human cultures? Refresh your knowledge of the moon's phases and its effects on wildlife and the tides, plus learn some new facts about how the moon was important to the druids. This video is in collaboration with Tristan over at Step Back History!



Do you love almonds? They're more complicated than you might know! Remember the honeybee paper we discussed recently, and get ready to think more deeply about the foods we love and their impact on the environment!



Sheryl interviews Dr. Adrian Smith (@DrAdrianSmith on Twitter), an early-career scientist passionate about social insects and science communication. In his lab, Adrian works with ant colony social structure related to their reproduction. He also works on creating science communication media with colleagues.



Happy New Year! Let's take a look back at some new species that were discovered last year. Along the way, we might learn a thing or two about conservation, science, and different ways to think about our planet.



While in Denver for my first real professional academic conference, I had a chance to go to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I had such a great time! I'll never pass up an opportunity to look at dinosaur fossils, taxidermied birds and animals, and other amazing natural history specimens.



Sheryl presents a larger set of data for her Master's research on dung beetles in the Coleoptera student session at the Entomological Society's annual meeting in Denver. How do restoration management techniques affect insect communities? That's what Sheryl is trying to figure out!



Sheryl interviews Dalton Ludwick (@EntoLudwick on Twitter), a doctoral student studying corn rootworm, a super expensive crop pest. We hear about Dalton's surprise success with popular hashtags on Twitter, as well as his passion for research that will be useful to farmers.



Everybody knows honeybees are great, right? What if I told you that there's more to the problem of protecting honeybees than you might first assume? Environmental issues are complicated and full of nuance, so let's dive into the details and explore all the angles of the question.



Can you believe I had never been to the Pacific Ocean before this summer? But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to rove down to the beach while I was in California for VidCon. A week later, I was in Oregon for some friends' wedding, and we went to the beach with the bride and groom! I can definitely say that I liked the Pacific Ocean, and that I will be back.



Sheryl interviews Lauren Diepenbrock (@LMDiepenbrock on Twitter), a post-doctoral student doing research on Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Lauren tells us about her journey from aspiring vet to dedicated entomologist, and offers some awesome insights on how to survive in the academic atmosphere.



E. O. Wilson first described the concept of "biophilia" in his book by the same name. Ever since, the idea has fascinated social scientists and nature enthusiasts alike. What does biophilia mean to you? Can you identify moments in your life when you feel the effects of biophilia?



Sheryl talks about some different methods employed to teach environmental education, and also their varying degrees of success. Which do you think is the best? Do you have any experience teaching in any of these styles?



Sheryl presents preliminary data for her Master's research on dung beetles for a science symposium hosted at the Nachusa Grasslands, where she conducts her research. Nachusa is administered by the Illinois Nature Conservancy, and encompasses a set of restored tallgrass prairie sites. How do restoration management techniques affect insect communities? That's what Sheryl is trying to figure out!



Sheryl shows you how to make your own personalized skeleton decoration for Halloween! Learn how to thoroughly clean and bleach animals bones you find outside, then assemble them using super glue, wire, and a little creativity. Post pictures of the skeleton creatures you create on Facebook and Twitter and tag The Roving Naturalist - I'd love to see what you make!



Welcome John Vanek (@wild_ecology on Twitter) to the next episode of Explain Yourself! John and Sheryl talk about skunks, hellbenders, and creative uses for plywood. We also learn about John's extensive research experience and thoughts on grad school. He deserves an award for putting up with all of the technical difficulties during this filming session (please forgive the audio, I promise it will be better in the future).


Sheryl vlogs while collecting mushrooms for her mycology lab collection. She's able to identify a few, but the rest will have to wait for the lab.
PLEASE DO NOT FORAGE FOR MUSHROOMS WITHOUT CONSULTING AN EXPERT


Holes, crows, and cacti: oh my! California hiking vlog #2
The second half of Sheryl's hike in southern California the day after VidCon. I geek out about cactus, find some weird plants I can't identify, complain about the heat, and listen to some crows.


 Holes, crows, and cacti: oh my! California hiking vlog #1
Sheryl geeks out about plants and animals on a hike in southern California. I was unfamiliar with most of the things I saw, so I gave the best explanations I could, and I've labeled the video appropriately with common and scientific names. Sorry about my voice! After spending 4 days networking at VidCon in the loud, crowded spaces, I hardly had anything left!


 Explain Yourself: "Sticking your head in bushes" with Anna
Please welcome Anna Farrell, our first guest on Explain Yourself!
Anna researches plants in a restored prairie in Illinois. She loves field work, hates biting insects, and ironically can't remember the word for "charades."


 What is Environmental Education?
Sheryl shares several different definitions for environmental education, then takes the best parts of each of them to create her own, comprehensive definition. But why should we care about environmental education? Is it effective?


 What Environmental Education means to me
Sheryl spends some time telling you about what environmental education means to her. She's worked as an environmental educator of some sort at a lot of different facilities, and her experiences have provided a lot of useful insights that she can now share with you.


 Solar Eclipse Adventure 2017
Watch and listen as me and my friends enjoy the amazing 2017 total solar eclipse. Please excuse me geeking out over the awesomeness, and also my dog panting and my friends' snarky comments in the background.


 Welcome to The Roving Naturalist!
Welcome to The Roving Naturalist! On this channel, I want to answer all of the questions you never knew you had about how humans and the natural environment fit together.

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